Absorption refrigerating apparatus



June 14, 1932. E. E. ALLYNE ABSORPTION REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Original Filed Feb. '7, 1929 2 Sheets-Sh et INVENTOR ATTORNEY-5.

June 14, 1932. E, 1,862,647

ABSORPTION REF'RIGERATING APPARATUS Original-Filed Feb. '7, 1929 2 Sheets-Sh et 2 v INVENTOR ATTORNEY Fatenteol June '14, 19352 EDMUND E. ALLYNE, F CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, ()HIQ ABSORPTION REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Application filed February 7, 1929, Serial No. 338,176. Renewed November 14, 1931.

In some instances an additional larger quan tity of ice is desirable for freezing of ice cream and other similar uses. To meet all these refrigerating requirements special attention has been and must hereafter be given to the arrangement of the entire refrigerating element and its detail parts to producethe several refrigerating functions with respect to the above-mentioned features of cooling the box, freezing ice cubes, and providing an additional ice bulk supply. In treating these factors in a refrigerating apparatus of the absorption type, a serious diiiiculty arises in the fact that in most absorption systems there is a lapse of refrigerationduring the heating period. This period varies in time according to the particular apparatus, but in most cases it is suiiiciently long to permit such a rise in temperature in the box that the necessary and desirable refrigerating effects are interfered with.

The object of this invention, therefore, is the provision of an evaporator apparatus for use in the refrigerating chamber of an ice box coupled with a holdover effect in the form of a heat absorber which will be cooled to such an extent during the cooling period that it will form a heat absorber for taking care 49 of the temperature of the box, the ice cubes,

and the additional ice supply, in such a manner that they are kept intact until the next refrigerating cycle of the system.

The features of the invention for bringing about the above results are very clearly set forth in the following description, drawings and claims. In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of the box Fig. 2 is a side elevation with the. partsremoved and broken away to clearly show the arrangement; Fig.

3 is an enlarged side elevation of the refrigerating element; and Fig. f is a front elevation. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, 1 represents a cabinet having an upper refrigerating chamber 2 and a lower an apparatus compartment 3. At the back the refrigerating compartment or chamber is reduced in size to provide between its sides a flue space including a main flue 4, Fig. 1, and

a side or auxiliary fiue 5. These fiues are 669 closed at the back, and open at the top and communicate with the apparatus compartment 3 as shown in Fig. 2, the apparatus compartment being provided with a rearwardly and upwardly inclined flue plate 6 extending from the lower front edge to the under side of the refrigerating compartment near the back to cooperate with the main fiue 4 in directing the heat from the still and condenser, as will appear, to the flue portion 4. The absorption system or apparatus disclosed in this case comprises a condenser formed of air cooled coils 7 arranged in a main lower bank and in an upper closely associated half bank, all arranged in the bottom of the cabinet and therefore in the mouth of the flue formed by the flue plate 6. Supported in any suitable manner above the condenser is a still absorber 8 of the usual tank type, preferably arranged horizontally, as shown. This tank 8 is provided at one end, for example, the left end, with a conduit or pipe 9 leading from a point above the bottom and within to an upper cooling grid header 10 at a point in alinement with a sump pipe 11 leading to a small cylindrical sump 12 for the collection of undesirable material in the system. Connected to the header 10 are a plurality of slightly downwardly inclined loop tubes 13 provided with fins 14 and arranged side by side and extending to the opposite end of the tank 8 Where they are connected to and communicate with a lower tube header 15 .similar to the header 10. This header is connected by a pair of conduits or pipes 16 with .a corresponding end of the tank 8 and extend up into the tank as shown. These two conduits or pipes 16 receive the return ends 17 and 18 of a gas pipe 19 which leads to the trap, as will appear.

Leading from the top of the still-absorber or tank 8 is a gas outlet rectifier in the form of a pipe 20 extending upwardly through the auxiliary flue 5 to a loop 21 at the top and returning by a pipe 22 to a point near the bottom of a liquid sealed trap casing 23. This casing is closed on all sides but for the pipe connections which enter it. Its specific details are not important here but its general sealing characteristics are obvious. Entering the trap casing 23 at a point 24, which is the level of liquid in the trap, is the pipe 19 which leads the gas, during the cooling period, back to the still through the loop structure just described. Extending from the top of this trap casing is a gas pipe 25 for conveying away the gas during the heating period. This pipe extends downward and is connected at 26 to the uppermost point of the condenser by the tube 7. The lower part of the condenser is connected to a pipe 27 which extends upwardly through the auxiliary flue 5 to the top of the refrigerator where it enters the refrigerating compartment near the top and is branched into a plurality of connections 28 establishing communication between the pipe and a liquid refrigerant storage tank 29. As shown in the drawings, in this particular'embodiment this liquid refrigerant storage is annular in form, or is what might be termed of square doughnut shape. In actual practice it is made up of three or four-inch tubing mitered at the ends and welded together in square doughnut form which for convenience is termed annular. In other words, it may be square, round, or oval, the annular shape merely indicating that it is, as before stated, of the doughnut type with the hole in the center.

This storage is housed, in the upper part of the box, by heat insulating housing comprising the marginal horizontal walls 30, the inner vertical marginal walls 31 and the upper wall 32, which may be omitted when the inner marginal walls 31 are extended to the upper wall of the box. The chamber 33 formed by this arrangement serves as a dome, as it were, for the collection of any heat resulting from any of the elements or factors of the box. Extending through the marginal horizontal wall 30 and communicating with the storage 29 is a refrigerating element in the form of a coiled pipe, the pipe being indicated at 34. This pipe is coiled about in an upper grid 35 immediately below the horizontal wall 30, an intermediate grid 36 and a bottom grid 37. The space be-' tween the grids 35 and 36 is somewhat greater than the space between the grids 36 and 37 for a purpose which will appear. The arrangement of the grids is such that liquid refrigerant from the storage gravitates nicely to the end of the lowermost grid 37 and from thence it passes to a small sump 38 which is connected by a pipe 39 to a suitable refrigerant trap comprising the part 40, the connecting pipe 41, and the main body 42, the pipe 41 leading to the bottom of the main body 42 and the latter being connected at substantially its center, vertically, by a pipe 43 to the gas pipe 27.

The still is heated and controlled by any suitable mechanism not shown, but of gas type, where heat is applied at the proper time for the heating period and shut off when the refrigerant has been properly stored in storage 29.

The cycle of the machine may be briefly stated as being one where during the heating period the ammonia or other gas is driven off from the liquor in the still and rises through the rectifier including the pipes 20 and 22, returning to the bottom of the trap casing 23, and rising therein and passing out by the pipe 25 to the top of the condenser. In the condenser the gas is condensedand liquefied by being cooled and by the pressure of the apparatus, driven up through the pipe 27 to the branch pipes 28 and thence into the storage. As the heating period progresses the proper volume of liquefied refrigerant is stored in the storage and ready for use when the heating period ceases. When the heat is cut off the heat of the still and the condenser, which heretofore has been passing up through the flue arrangement, creates a draft of cold air past the condenser, the loop tubes, and the still. When the temperature of the still and the loop has dropped sufliciently, these parts become a region of lower pressure and the liquefied refrigerant in the storage and the refrigerating unit connected thereto starts to vaporize and pass back in, the form of gas. It passes back through the condenser and thence to the trap where it finds difliculty in passing up through the pipe 22, due to the liquid column therein and hence must take a path through the pipe 19 and connections 17 and 18 to the conduits 16. Here it rises through these conduits, and are ates a circulation of the boiler liquor in the loop, thereby serving to cool the boiler liquor and increase absorption. This last part cycle continues through out the cooling or refrigerating period which may be terminated by a control of any suitable type.

It will be seen from the foregoing that at some time during the heating period the more or less hot liquid refrigerant is delivered to the storage and possibly to the refrigerating coils connected therewith and that the presence of this heat at thisparticular time in the apparatus might produce a rise in temperature in the box and also a rise in temperature in and about the ice cubes or cakes, which should be maintained properly frozen. To

avoid this'difiiculty a heat absorber is provided adjacent the connection of the storage to the refrigerating unit and in the embodimentshown it comprises a pan or container 44 adapted to hold a suitable quantity of liquid, such as water, and it is so arranged-that the water in this container surrounds a zone XY of the refrigerating coil as it passes from the storage. This heat absorber should be of a size such that it will dispose of not only the heat transferred from the storage through the pipe 34, but also the heat of any liquid communication with the refrigerant storage member, and a heat absorber enveloping a portion of the evaporator closely adjacent the storage chamber for absorbing heat from the connection between the storage and the evaporator during the heating period and provgaling a holdover during the heating eri p In testimony whereof I hereby aflix my signature. 75'

EDMUND E. ALLYNE.

refrlgerant passing down through this pipe and still further should assist or, better still, dispose of any heat generated in the box. This heat absorber may be of any type, it being only necessary that it shall function as a heat absorber to absorb heat of the parts as specified on the one hand, and to freely give up its heat during the refrigeratin period to be prepared to'act as a holdover durin the next heating period. The space imm 'ately in front of this heat absorber and between t, the refrigerating grids 35 and 36 may very conveniently be supplied with a relatively large ice tray 45 for providing a large mass of ice and also for assisting in maintaining the holdover effect and preventing the melting of the ice cubes which are conveniently arranged in a tray 46 to the rear and under the heat absorber on the grid 36 and in a rear smaller tray 47 below the tray 46 and between the grids 36 and 37 and forward longer and larger trays 48 arranged upon the grid 37 and between it and the grid 36. As shown in Fig. '2, this refrigerating unit, the storage and the tra s, extends downward from front to back an access for lateral removal of the trays 46 and 47 may be had. From the foregoing it will be seen that provision has been made for the provision of a heat absorber member 2. In refrigerating apparatus, a refrigerating chamber, a refrigerant storage chamber within the refrigerating chamber and heat insulated therefrom, a refrigerant storage member within said storage chamber, a still absorber and condenser connected in operative cycle and also connected to said refrigerant storage member, an evaporator outside of the storage chamber and in liquid gravitating is open to the right-hand side so that. 

